The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-04-23

house. hospitals, suffers stores, etc ; In
! the center was large open space tho
drill ground.
/ Al either end, at about It's middle, was
large high cato for teams, and beside - .
smaller ono for persons To pass through;
at each Of which stood soldier with
muskct, guarding the entrance,
Lifc within soon grew TO be vorltaDle
prison experience. A company was ns-
signed TO each OF the buildings, which, as
said before, was long, narrow structure,
and had at one end kitchen and store
rooms and at the other two or three small
apartments for the officers. Through the
center Of the main room ran table made
OF rough boards from which all ate
At tho sides OF the long room were box
ike structures, open in front having tiers
of boards laid wide enough for two to sleep
upon. These We're Janks.
The barracks were made OF rough boards
put on 'up and down" with no ceiling
overhead save the single roof Windows
and doors were few, purposcly so TO econ
omi2c space.
Here began the crude, coarse fare OF SOL
der life. RatIons IN Abundance were OF
course supplied, but their preparation
lacked the delicate, skilled hand Of woman.
company to serve in the kitchen two days.
These, the first day, served as assistants
20 two other men who, but the day pre-
vious, were assistants, and with the ripe cX-
perience thus gained In one days apprentice
hiD. were now full .hcdgcd cooks.
With these constant changes in the
kitchen, the food was at nearly all times
lily prepared, and chance TO often an inn
portant factor in the results, obtained.
For illustration, meat that was put in the
oven TO bake or rather roast, from the pres
cnce of too much fat, turned out fry,
and beef put in the kettle TO boil, from
there being II scarcity or water towards
the last, ended in u bake
Potatoes were almost never well cooked,
even when apparently done raw core
would be found in the center COffce was
sometimes little stronger than water at
others like lyc
But rice, white beans and dried apples,
gave the new cooks most trouble.
In cooking these the novice invariably
filled the camp kettle, a large shect'iron
vessel holding two gallons or more, with
one Of these articles and then poured in
water ami set it upon the stove. In u
little while the rice, apples or beans began
swelling and the vessel commenced run
ming over; the novitate mcantlm" dip
ping out the supertiuous quantity and put
ting it in another vessel, this process goes
on till he finds he has been compelled to
take out more than there is left and still
the camp kettle runs ever and seems 10
have lost nonc-and in the end there is
enough for regiment.
Good cook stoves and utensils OF all kind
were furnished by the Government The
tablc-w was all Of tin or iron.
Through the day there WAS company
drill, occupying an hour or two after
breakfast and before supper. The rest OF
the time was spent reading writing let
tcrs and playing checkers and pitching
qcoits with horse shoes,
| Occasionally a pass wal procured from
, TIE commanierof the post, and a trip made
to Springh III or to the woods or into the
country across the fields. The camp had
grown terrible monotonous and any chance
to get out, where the view was less crcum-
scrjbed and tn pure air in more abundance,
vas welcomed.